Sunday, October 26, 2008

Rams get sidetracked, but not derailed

The Rams didn’t extend their winning streak Sunday afternoon, but they continued their transformation.

They are becoming a much, much better football team. The Rams showed this by taking 3-0, 10-7 and 16-13 leads over the Patriots in New England.

Running back Steven Jackson sat out the game with his thigh injury. Defensive end Leonard Little and cornerback Ron Bartell departed with injuries.

But Jim Haslett kept his team on the attack. With a cleaner performance -– fewer penalties, better special teams play, more third-down conversions on offense -– this Rams team could have pulled the upset.

“We need to clean up some things, obviously,” Haslett told the Rams Radio Network after the game. “We can’t do some of the things we did today and win.

“The game boiled down to field position. The whole second half -– and some of the second quarter, too -– the offense had long fields and the defense had short fields.”

There were lots of positive signs, however:

• Rookie receiver Donnie Avery starred, catching six passes for 163 yards and a touchdown. His speed forced the Patriots defense to back off the line of scrimmage.